During the Republic of China

universities generally adopted Education Independence” as the criterion. However

many universities faced a dual dilemma inside and outside. They were not only subject to military and political pressure outside

but also entangled in personnel disputes inside. There existed many complex relationships between the two aspects. The complicated situation profoundly impacted on the construction and personnel recruitment of the university. At the beginning of the 20th century

such a complicated situation existed at Zhongzhou University. Zhongzhou University was successfully established under the support of Yuxiang Feng. As soon as the university was established

it hired Dr. Youlan Feng

who had studied in the United States

as the headmaster of arts and head of the department of Philosophy. During his tenure

Youlan Feng had made outstanding contributions to the construction of liberal arts

especially the department of Philosophy. But after two years

he got tired of the factionalism in the university and left for another college. Youlan Feng’s departure reflected that factionalism seriously interferes with the independence of university education and academic freedom.